I saw a candidate saying the following on a recruiter’s LinkedIn post:
“I never give any information to recruiters.”
And yet, I’m coaching some of the worlds biggest billers (£1.8 million, $1 million, $3 million) who know what the ‘takers’ are doing wrong.
There’s a well-worn phrase about recruitment being a ‘people business’. So use your people skills and up your game looking after candidates.
Step one: Always look after the candidate’s interest (better than your competitor does).
Step two: Do things that your competitor doesn’t (like really delving deep into the candidate’s key achievements and uncovering things about those achievements that the candidate didn’t even realise themselves – signal how this benefits the candidate).
Step three: There are a few more, but let me jump to this. After you’ve looked after the candidate to the Nth degree, invite feedback on your advice/approach.
Step four: Where appropriate ask for help.
Clumsy ‘takers’ get pushed away.
Professionals ALWAYS focus on the candidate, drawing out key achievements that the candidate never even knew they possessed. Putting together a plan to help them target the companies they’d like to work for, suggesting improvements to their CV and so on.
After that, many candidates are invariably happy to help in some way, provided that the delivery is well-timed, professional, and pleasant.
And that the candidate is impressed.
PS – I once had a landscape gardener who did a phenomenal job for me. He asked me how happy I was with the service, and I told him the truth that it was the best landscape gardening service I’d ever received.
He then asked me very pleasantly about my neighbours and I introduced him to 4 of them.
He had great people skills, good timing with his questions (after really looking after my needs) and he was very pleasant.
